


On the Verge of Something

by Retro_Cows



Category: Half-Life, Half-Life 2 - Fandom, Half-Life Opposing Force
Genre: (don’t worry I don’t actually like that game), Adrian and Alyx have ADHD but it’s not too important to the plot, B. Calhoun and Barney Calhoun and different people, Beta read by my friend UniversalMom, Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Make sure to check for new warnings and tags every chapter, Minor references to Hunt Down the Freeman and Shepard’s mind, They/them pronouns for Adrian, Warnings may be added later on so please be safe and check every new chapter, aroace Adrian, in the world of the half life 2 beta, mainly made because I love Adrian Shepard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-25 04:21:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30083394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Retro_Cows/pseuds/Retro_Cows
Summary: Adrian Shepard has spent all but half of their life alone, stuck in a plane hurtling through an endless void. Unknown to the young soldier, is that soon would change, the strange man’s employers were looking for a new representative after their former had declined the offer. Adrian must now take on the work the man before them refused to. With their mind still warped from the decades alone, is that even possible?
Relationships: Adrian Shepard and Alyx Vance, Adrian Shepard and Otis Laurey
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	On the Verge of Something

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This will probably be the first fanfic I’ve don’t like this, I’ve been sitting on this idea for quite some time and wanted to share it! I previously made two posts about this on Tumblr (don’t worry their not required to understand the story) but decided to also have it take place in the Half-Life 2 beta rather than just Half-Life 2 to help with some potential problems with the plot (I’m not gonna pretend it wasn’t mostly out of love for the Half-Life 2 Beta, it’s honestly just really interesting), I hope it’s as enjoyable to read as it was to write!

Wednesday, March 5th, 2003. 8:17 AM.

Adrian, bags and all, glanced over their melancholic family. Both members were outside once again to say goodbye to them one last time before the soldier returned to their dreaded obligations as a corporal. Mitchell, their young brother, held the stuffed dog that had once belonged to Adrian as he smiled a farewell to his sibling. Their mother walked over to hug her child goodbye.

“Goodbye Ad. Stay safe, alright? We don’t want you getting hurt...” their mom requested Adrian dropped their bags and hugged back, nodding at the request.

“I’ll make sure I can come home, Mom... I’m...” Adrian sighed, “I’ll be back.” They stared at the house, the dogs, their brother, their mom. They much preferred this to the army, but they needed that college money. Plus, their mother always seemed so proud of their child fighting for their country. ‘Just a few more years Shepard. You got that, don’t you?’ They thought to themself. Adrian pulled away from the hug, “I’ll see you guys in June, I promise I will.” They stepped into the car as the yells of goodbye from their family and dogs filled the air.

That’s when they woke up.

They found themselves sprawled on the ground, staring at the metal ceiling of the military Osprey with confusion. _Oh yeah... _Adrian put an arm over their eyes and held back tears. The harsh noise of the plane flying through an endless void- as well as the occasional chirp from one of their pet aliens- filled the space. Silence never dared to trek here. It’s a noise-filled menace that they now called home after what must have been an eternity...__

__It had been so long. They'd lost count of the seconds, hours... had it been decades? The quickly abandoned tallies on the plane’s wall taunted them. 5 days they counted, second by second, before giving up. Hope for any chance of ever leaving had been abandoned far too long ago to even remember. Even their guns were empty, leaving them with the last thing they’d even consider doing impossible._ _

__They sat up in a haste and glowered at the metal floor below them. Adrian couldn’t stand it anymore. They were trapped within the confines of this small plane all this time, and for what? Seeing something they shouldn’t have? Being in the wrong place at the wrong time? They’d much rather be fucking DEAD than alive in this desolate hellscape._ _

__The corporal put a hand in their hair on either side of their head, and they screamed it all out. They screamed at the planet they weren’t able to know the fate of. They screamed for the family they couldn’t even remember’s faces, for the countless people they had seen die, for the forced life they had to lead and accept as the norm._ _

__Adrian stood up and punched a dent in the wall of the plane, one more of the many that were already there... They quickly fell into a heap, their tears dropping onto the seat below them. Adrian hadn’t noticed the crying before, but it didn’t matter. Not a soul could judge them. Not even God would dare lay his gaze upon this wretched place._ _

__The former soldier laid with their head resting on the cushion of the chair. Pulling themself closer, so they could grab their knees._ _

__“Why... Why me... and why me only?” Adrian no longer had the energy to scream, so they turned their gaze down. Quiet tears rolled down to their chin before finally dropping onto the worn-out, makeshift pillow they now found themselves on._ _

__The artificial red light of the plane’s cabin dug harsh rays into Adrian’s eyes. They reflected on how much they missed color. Something rare, aside from the red the military plane’s lights encompassed. They had taken color for granted. Oh, how they wished to see any color other than this sickening red glow.  
______________ _

__It had to have been hours since their breakdown, yet they hadn’t moved. What was the point? They couldn’t die. They couldn’t age. They couldn’t even starve. What was the point in getting up, talking, trying to escape?_ _

__Adrian redirected their attention as a strange noise rang from every direction, a noise almost akin to a cartoonist’s way of conveying the slowing of time. The soldier glanced out the window to see the plane had stopped. As they stood up and tried to investigate, they noticed they weren’t able to take any steps. It was as if their feet were glued to the metal surface of the Osprey’s floor. They quickly closed their eyes, opening them again only to see they were somehow sitting. They were in the same spot they had always avoided sitting, the one they had woken up in when first getting here._ _

__“Aaaaah, Corporallll... Shepard...” a familiar voice rang out, seemingly from every direction. It was him. Adrian darted their eyes everywhere, breathing uncomfortably fast. They weren't typically an easy to frighten person... That man though... He was the reason they had found themself trapped here, only 22 years into life, right after the worst experience they had ever lived through. As they glanced around they noticed the suited man walking through the plane’s door, exactly as Adrian remembered him._ _

__“My... eeeeeemployers have been inquiring about new…” he inhaled sharply “representation... You see our former... associate, he has seemed to have... made an incorrect choice before we were able to aaaaassign him.... Let us just say he lost an inevitablyyyyyy impossible battle against the victims of his destruction of an entire species.” The man adjusts his tie, “I’ll make thisssss... short, Corporal... Mustn’t waste valuable time, hm? You had your break... Now it’s time for aaaaactual effort. Welcome, home Corporal... Welcome home...”_ _

__Adrian flinched as their view turned into nothing but cascading light and darkness. They held their eyes tightly closed for a moment before opening them once again to an all but empty train. They let their eyes adjust to the new, artificial white and yellow lighting. Light... Color... It was something that they hadn't experienced since the final battle all that time ago. It was surreal, almost euphoric, taking it in once again._ _

__The first thing they noticed was their clothes they had been wearing had been replaced. A backpack was provided as well. The movement came from inside, surely it was their pets Sparky and Gill._ _

__Their outfit consisted of a hooded green and black jumpsuit, an armband with some foreign language written on it, and an apron. It appeared it was an outfit made for hazardous environments. Along with that, they noticed that their mask had gone missing. One of their few last remaining comforts, gone._ _

__The train was old and smelled like most old places did, rotting wood and something else that was sharp, but unidentifiable. Train walls of worn-down metal were covered with propaganda posters, showing a man with a powerful demeanor. “IT'S GREAT TO BE PART OF THE GREATER GOOD,” one read. “The Consul says... relax, the Consul says... report,” said another. All 4 walls and even the ceiling were all but covered in these posters, and variation in them was almost nonexistent._ _

__One man sat confused, staring out the window at the barren wastelands outside. A human... A person was there with them. Not some man wearing the skin of a human to trick him, but a flesh and bone human._ _

__Adrian approached the man, and the stranger didn’t even seem to notice their scratched-up face and strange demeanor as they did._ _

__“Oh hey... Didn’t see you get on...” The man didn’t act concerned about Adrian’s appearance as he handed them a gas mask. The corporal grabbed it quickly and equipped it to cover their face. The mask was a comfort they were almost too happy to have back. “Here, I saw that you didn’t have a mask. I always have an extra just in case,” he extended his hand for a handshake,” I’m Samual by the way.” Adrian stared at the man’s hand and then back to the man, and the man slowly retracted his hand in dejection._ _

__“Ahem... Uh, by the way, do you know why the train stopped?” Samual stayed staring out the window as he spoke, “As if getting a new notice on such a short term isn’t enough, now this on the way there?” he sighed, “One hell of a shitty day...” Adrian sat down on the seat across from Samual and continued their obsessive stare at the confused man, still not processing what Samual was saying. Sam glanced up and sighed with relief as the train trekked back along. The rolling of the old train had the screeching and screaming of a machine close to breaking. Samual mumbled something about how ancient the train was under his breath, but continued with the conversation rather than bringing it up._ _

__“Hey, let’s hope my stay at City 17 is a long one. Maybe even 6 months this time... Nah, they’ll probably relocate me again.” Adrian stared for a moment, unsympathetically, as the man looked down at his bags. He occasionally glanced back up at the person’s persistent stare. What a weirdo._ _

__When the train had started to slow to a halt at an old train stop, more ancient than even the train itself, Adrian realized they needed to figure out what to do. Samual sighed, “End of the line,” before putting on his gas mask and hastily walking away from Adrian, bag in hand, leaving a now confused Adrian to their own devices._ _

__They stared out at the unending mass of city 17. The people all wearing gas masks, the guards at practically every corner, the huge mile tall building at the center of it all. A distant, booming, almost robotic voice roared at them from every direction as they reluctantly took a few steps out into the city’s horrifying glory. All they could ask themselves was... What the fuck happened?_ _

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again! Thank you for reading it’s very much appreciated, I’m gonna try to update as much as possible but that might be a bit hard, the 14 chapters are just based on the chapters in Half-Life 2 so may be inaccurate to how long this story will be, we’ll see. Well, thank you again for reading, have a wonderful day, I hope to see you in the next chapter.


End file.
